1. Field of the Invention
The present invention is generally directed to the field of currency handling machines, and in particular to a note hopper for dispensing paper currency, bank notes or cash equivalent scrip.
2. Description of the Prior Art
The advent of wide-spread use of bill acceptors or currency validation units for use with gaming machines and vending machines has greatly increased the convenience to the user by allowing the use of paper bills in various denominations, as opposed to coins, to operate these types of machines. Generally, however, these types of machines only dispense money in the form of coins and they are incapable of dispensing paper currency. Coincidentally, the wide-spread use of automated transaction machines (ATMs) has provided the consuming public with ready access to paper currency from ATMs using a bank card or credit card and upon entry of user appropriate code information. Operationally, however, ATMs are predominantly intended to dispense currency in a single denomination from a secure location and they are thus little more than a note counting and dispensing apparatus.
For certain applications, such as gaming and vending machines having bill validation capabilities, there is a need for a bill or note dispenser which will interact with an electronic controller of the machine, to dispense currency, bills, or other secure notes.
An object of the present invention is to provide a note holding and dispensing device which can discharge notes from a cassette removably attached to a frame.
Another object of the invention is to provide a note holding and dispensing device which can recover unacceptable notes such as double or false notes without the discharging these notes to avoid trouble with users.
Still another object of the invention is to provide a note holding and dispensing device with a cassette which includes an extracting device wherein a frame supports an extraction drive means which drives the extracting device to manufacture the cassette in light weight.
A further object of the invention is to provide a lightweight note holding and dispensing device electrically connectable to a host machine.
A still further object of the invention is to provide a note holding and dispensing device with a cassette lock device for securing a cassette to a frame wherein delivery and recovery slots in the cassette can be opened and closed by operation of the cassette lock device for anti-theft.